this morning on "early today," campaign controversy. mitt romney tries to get back on track after that leaked video. plus the latest nbc wall street journal poll numbers. back to school. chicago teachers agree to return to the classroom after a seven-day strike. and festive finale. william and kate wrap up their south pacific tour in william and kate wrap up their south pacific tour in traditional island style. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. i'm lynn berry. and today we begin were trouble on the trail. a new nbc news wall street

journal poll shows mitt romney falling behind in the presidential race, and that was before news of his secretly recorded videotape dismissing nearly half of american voters. nbc's tracie potts joins us live from washington. she has more on all of this. -- tracie, good morning to you. >> president obama pulls ahead just slightly more than he was a month ago. five points ahead of mitt romney in that latest poll a among likely voters. the nbc wall street journal poll. all of this as romney tries to bounce back from those comments he made last spring. here's what mitt romney was secretly recorded saying last may about the 47% of americans who don't pay taxes. >> who believe they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. and so my job is not to worry about those people. i'll never convince them. >> reporter: romney now admits that some of those not paying

taxes aren't victims as he said last may are wealthy americans. >> i think people would like to be paying taxes. the good news is if you're doing well enough financially that you can pay a tax. >> reporter: president obama last night on the late show reacting to romney. >> my expectation is if you want to be president you have to work for everybody, not just some. >> reporter: but some high profile republicans are backing their nominee. >> i think in the context of what governor romney was saying is that we need to get people off of subsistence. that means job creation. >> reporter: despite the gap, romney raised $6.5 million tuesday. now as for that nbc wall street journal poll, more information. president obama's approval rating is up just slightly but it is up. over a month ago just a few points on the economy and overall. overall he's now at 50%, which is his best since march. lynn? tracie pots there for us in washington.

tracie, thanks so much. it is back to school for students in chicago today. after a seven-day strike union teachers represents voted to accept the latest contract proposal and present it to the full membership for a final vote. nbc's jay gray has that story. >> reporter: after seven days of picketing and protests. >> teachers united for better schools. >> reporter: stalled negotiations, parents stretched to their limits, and classrooms sitting empty, students and teachers will get back to work wednesday morning in chicago. >> this is the time. this was the place. this was the right thing to do. >> reporter: the chicago teachers board of delegates agreed to accept a proposal tuesday evening. the rank and file close to 35,000 teachers plus approved the deal. that's expected to happen in the next couple of weeks. >> we said that it was time to -- that we couldn't solve all the problems of the world with one contract and that it was time to suspend the strike. >> reporter: already among the highest paid teachers in the

nation with an annual salary averaging almost $70,000, the new contract provides for a 7% pay raise for chicago teachers over the next three years. two major sticking points in the talks had been job security and performance evaluations. the city will now rate teachers in part on how well students score on standardized tests and underperforming teachers can be laid off in the first year of the new contract. >> this settlement is an honest compromise. it means returning our schools to their primary purpose, the education of our children. it means a new day and a new direction for the chicago public schools. >> reporter: one that begins with opening bells finally ringing at schools across the city wednesday morning. jay gray, nbc news. and just quick programming note for you. nbc news will be hosting an education nation summit right here in new york city. it's going to be beginning this sunday and you'll be able to see special programming across all nbc news platforms all next

week. well, now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. in new york, surveillance video captured a dramatic attack inside a laundromat. now the victim was punched and beaten with a large stick as two women and two men robbed the place. one of the men can be seen swiping a cash register. police are still looking for the suspects. in the nation's capitol, human skeletal remains have been found underneath a historic home undergoing renovation. no criminal activity is suspected. instead, it could be the resting place of a man whose death dates back to 1850. in oregon, don't worry, it is only a drill, but one designed to show what a massive magnitude 8 earthquake would feel like. a power company uses a simulator to help get its employees ready if the big one ever does hit. experts say there's a 40% chance of one rocking the pacific northwest sometime in the next

50 years. and finally, back to washington. we told you about this story first yesterday. we're finally getting our first clims of that little baby panda born sunday at the national zoo. it's teeny, tiny. you have to look closely there. the momma bear shea song can be seen holding the tiny guy in that mouth. the newborn was on her body for nursing and grooming. there's still no word if it's a boy or a girl though. we'll have to wait and see. i want to be clear the next time we see her. now for a look at your national and regional weather. we check in with dylan dreyer. >> about the size of a stick of butter. >> not a stick of butter, the size. >> we are looking at a rainy start for the day up across new england. we will see the rain clear out as we progress through the morning. there's really not a whole lot going on across the rest of the country. a weak cold front diving across the dakotas into minnesota.

we are going to see that not bring a whole lot of moisture with it. while it will move through the area, it is just going to drop temperatures a little bit. the main focus is that heavier rain falling up through new england right now. it is tail end of this cold front moving through the area. still, heavy rain is occurring in areas up near boston. new york city still dealing with a few scattered showers. you can see a lot of the thunderstorms though have moved out over the atlantic. still a few scattered showers and storms affecting northern florida as well. this will move eastward for the rest of the country looks pretty sunny. that's a look at the weather across the country. now here's a peak out your window. and in philadelphia, 73 degrees with a few clouds this morning but most areas looking quiet. tampa, a few scattered showers and storms. highs today topping out in the mid 80s. cleveland topping out only around 64 degrees later this afternoon. and that's your latest forecast, lynn. >> dylan, thanks so much. coming up, japan follows

suit, fedex warns and why it pays to be an alaskan. your early morning business headlines straight ahead. plus the rumor mill buzzing about a rec could be sill leeation between robert pattinson and christ continue stewart. coming up the brewers are in the hunt plus the good, the bad, the ugly in the outfield. you're watching "early today." >> announcer: earl "early today" is brought to you by preparation h totables.

good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning. pennsylvania state supreme court is ordering a lower court judge to determine if voters have easy access to photo i.d. cards required by a new law. if it is determined the i.d.s are easily available the law can stand. if not, the law will be blocked. arizona police can begin enforcing the controversial show your papers provision of the state's immigration law.

after a u.s. judge lifted an injunction blocking the measure, the state law was upheld by the u.s. supreme court. newly released images show sea ice in the arctic ocean melting to record low levels. the u.s. national oceanic and atmospheric administration says this year marks the first time there's been less than 1.5 square miles of sea ice since satellite observations began in 1979. and england's duke and duchess of cambridge, prince william and his wife kate danced in traditional costumes on the pacific island of tabalu. look at those moves. wow, will. it was the final stop on the royal couple's tour of the far east. i want to put that on loop. now here's an early look at how wall street's going to kick off the day. the dow closed a 13,564 after adding 11 points yesterday. the s&p lost 1. the nasdaq was down a fraction.

taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo, the nikkei jumped 108 points while in hong kong the hang seng climbed 239. monetary easing by japan's central bank gave markets overseas a boost this morning. on the heels of aggressive stimulus here at home and in europe the bank of japan once again boosted its asset purchase program sending the nikkei to a four-month high. just weeks after declaring bankruptcy japan airlines made a respectable market return. meanwhile, many japanese retailers in china are losing business as escalating tensions over disputed island chain has sparked protests forcing companies to close for days. back on the street, a gloomy outlook from fed ex weighed on trade. the shipping bell weather fell 3% after slashing its earnings forecast due to a weakening world economy. shares of advanced micro

devices dragged techs tumbling 10% on news of its cfo's departure. american airlines put 11,000 employees on notice. of those 11,000, 4400 jobs will be cut by december. on the bright side, apple closed above $700 for the first time. some good news for the housing sector. home builder sentiment rose for the fifth month in a row in december for its highest level in more than six years. yahoo sold half its stake in china's alley baba search engine. speaking of dividends, alaskans can look forward to $878 each this year as part of the state's oil wealth sharing. however, it doesn't amount to much if you live in remote fort you con. $878 will buy you just about 59 cans of coffee. better than nothing.

coming up the marlins win in extras, a grand slam in michigan, and saying good-bye to a sportscasting pioneer. plus one angel drops in on some fans while chasing a home run. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. and the rain is clearing out across the east coast. the rest of the country enjoying a lot of sunshine. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today." ♪ i dare you to dare me

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good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports, the milwaukee brewers moved into the playoff race last night after blanking the pittsburgh pirates. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. who'd of thunk it. the brewers have been an after thought the entire season and now they're in the hunt for the wild card. he struck out six for his eighth win in a row. the other reason, rooun braun. following his mvp season, he leads the n.l. with 104 rbi. the brewers won it 6-0. they're 2 1/2 back. rally from three down in the ninth to tie the marlins, ryan mccann forced extras with a wall banger to left. easy come and easy to go.

jose reyes, in came the winning run and the marlins walk off with a 4-3 win. in the a.l., the tigers needed a win. solo shot in the third. 39th of the season and miguel saved his best for last. sacks full and there it goes. a grand slam in his final at-bat. some sad news. steve sabol, the president of nfl films passed away after an 18-month battle with brain cancer. sabol, along with his father ed, revolutionized sports broadcasting. he shaped the way we watch the nfl. won over 40 emmys for his work and was elected to the pro football hall of fame last year. steve sabol was 69 years old. dewayne wide line drive into the gap. you will gait nothing and like it. out to make the grab. that was the lone highlight for the royals. angels and rangers. ian kinsler with a high fly ball to left. it is going, going, gone and so

is vernon wells. he couldn't make the grab and went head over heels into the stands. angels had the last laugh. they won big. that's your early look at sports on "early today," i'm fred roggin. former "friends" star hits pregnancy rumors head on. your early morning entertainment headlines straight ahead. plus most employees are told to act professional in the workplace, but we'll show you how one company is challenging that. you're watching "early today."

strong storms affected the east coast yesterday with lots of downnd trees and power lines. look at the 60s across the eastern seaboard and in the 40s and 50s back behind the cold front. it will feel like fall as we go throughout the rest of the week with temperatures dropping back down into the 70s. still hot in the southwest with highs well above 100 degrees especially in the desert southwest. thursday, not too many improvements temperature wise. it will still be a little bit cool. if you are watching us on kprc local 2 in texas, checks out paintings. of birds and texas at the museum of printing history. that's your "early today" event of the day. it's so fun. all right, dylan. thanks so much. here's an early look at today's headlines in entertainment. could a reconciliation being near for twilight's robert pattinson and kristin stewart.

the two have recently been spending time together in secret. the couple broke up this summer after she was photographed cheating on him with married director rupert sanders. friends of the late marvin ham lish came out for a star studded memorial service honoring the composer at new york's juliard school of music. barbara stries san, aretha franklin andlize za minnelli performed. sarah jessica parker were among the guests. and 43-year-old jennifer aniston is hitting back against pregnancy rumors with a new promotional video spoof that has gone viral. in it ryan seacrest anchors a report on leaked home security tapes that reveal aniston is pregnant with triplets. i love that she has a good sense of humor about this. it's ridiculous how she has been sort of mocked in the tabloids. >> all cameras are focused right on her belly. the poor girl. >> i know. just let her be.

she's engaged, happy, let the girl be. >> exactly. >> so we say here. this comes to us from kare, 11 news in minneapolis. they work hard, they play hard, and they do it all in the same place. they should do this everywhere. one business is encouraging workers that they should take adult recess breaks. sounds brilliant. tether ball, hackie sack and four square are all part of the workday. one employee said he actually lost 60 pounds by having a little fun on the job. and it's probably not a coincidence that the company involved makes children's playground equipment. probably a good reason. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today, on your nbc station.

>> you're watching wbal-tv 11. live, local, late-breaking. this is 11 news today at 5:00 a.m. >> good morning. things will be a lot more quiet to today. we are able cooler this morning. the front to give this debate thunderstorms moved off the coast. 55 in taneytown. we'll start with some clouds early this morning. we will get some sunshine to break through. highs between 70 and 75. we will check the seven-day forecast going all the way into the weekend. >> 4:56.

breaking news in northeast baltimore. i fire sends six people to the hospital. >> nine innings were not enough for the orioles and the mariners last night. neither were f-15, f-16, or 17 innings. >> a research assistant from college park is the gun down and police are looking for a suspect. >> we're checking on the roads for the morning commute after this storm. this storm.

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to reaching your goals. pnc bank. for the achiever in you. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> you're watching wbal-tv 11. live, local, late-breaking. this is 11 news today at 5:00 a.m. >> good morning, everybody. >> good morning, everybody. i am stan